"Is giving job, MSP, the programs of Muslim League?": Kharge hits back at BJP

BENGALURU: Hitting back at the Bharatiya Janata Party over their leaders calling Congress' manifesto having "imprints of Muslim League", Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asked how promising employment to youth, MSP to farmers and money to women related to Muslim League.

He said that the Congress party in its manifesto has given 25 guarantees to everyone including; women, youth, Dalits and poor.

Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, "Is giving Rs 1 lakh annually to every woman a program of Muslim League? Giving jobs to the youth, giving them training and giving them Rs 1 lakh for training, is it a program of the Muslim League? We have promised MSP for farmers. Is it for Muslim League? We have promised to fill the backlog and vacancies. Is it for Muslim League?"

"We have given 25 guarantees for everyone. For the poor, for women, for the youth, it is for the Dalits, we have given it for everyone," he added.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have repeatedly said that the Congress manifesto has "imprint of the ideology of Muslim League."

Congress has made a slew of promises in its manifesto including a legal guarantee for MSP, Rs 1 lakh to women annually, apprenticeship program for youth, 50 per cent reservation for women in government jobs, removing 50 per cent reservation cap, repealing Agnipath scheme, doubling GDP in next ten years, strengthening anti-defection law, restoring status quo ante with China, mobile phones for students from class IX to XII and amending the GST regime.

Slamming the BJP further, Mallikarjun Kharge said that BJP doesn't have any 'concrete issue' to talk about and that's why he (PM Modi) keeps on criticizing the Congress and Opposition.

"A person who loses courage and has no issue to talk about comes up with such things. If he has his own concrete issues, concrete work then he can talk about that. Just like we talk about MNREGA, food security, compulsory education, RTI, rural health mission," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

"He has nothing to say and he always criticizes Congress, opposition and nowadays he is saying that there is nothing in the INDIA alliance, there is no leader. The leader in the alliance comes later, it's not chosen earlier," he further added.

The Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka are scheduled to take place over two phases, with polling slated for April 26 and May 7. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

In 2019, BJP registered a strong performance winning 25 out of the 28 seats, while the Congress party was only able to win one seat. This election comes after Congress party stormed into power with a massive victory in the assembly polls last year.